Wichita eagle., 1887-05-01
-dESSNiI~
9ai1Y& eagle
IN SOUTH AMERICA.
TWO YEARS OF INTERESTING Ex-
PERiENCE WITH THE NATIVES.

PERiENCE WITH THE NATIVES.
A Long Struggle With Danger and suf-
fering-Cruelty Of tho Chilians-A Ter
ribIe Journey-Crossins the Andes-A
Wonderful Fish.
There is q big room or two up at Columbia
college in which are spread abroad more won
degs than were ever dreamt of in Horatio's
philosophy. Birds, beasts, fishes, plants OF
strange nature, Indian relics and all manner
OF South American wonders are here, the
prizes captured in two years struggle with
danger and suffering by an American scien-
ti6s investigator. The owner Of these treas
ures is Dr.. Henry n. Rosby, Of Detroit, who
left New York for a tour through Chill and
Bolivia in the hope of discovering amid the
fauna and fora of the Andes and the Amazon
some valuable additions to the medicinal
riches of the American pharmacopeia.
DR.. ROsby's adventures were many and In
teresting. He met the sorocho in its native
lair, did battle with the Caripuna Ind ians
and the man eating fish and alligators of the
Beni river, broiled in the stencheS of La Paz,
the flthiest city this side Of Constantinople,
took his daily dose of quinine like little
man, ard saw the place where 100000 Gin
chona trees arc growing, the source from
which all the calisaya cocktails Of The future
suusC come. From all this he came out much
the worse for wear, but still full of enthusi-
asm and confident that out of the 800 native
drugs he had examined two or three would
prove superior to the similar remedies now
known to the medical profession.
DR.. Rosby intended to land at Mallendo
and go direct to Bolivia, but the Peruvian
war prevented Gen. Caceras was making
things lively for the authorities. So he was
obliged to travel by mule from Tacma to La
PaE, seven days journey, going from africa
to Tacma by rail, a tough journey across q
desert, without the shade of spear of grass
TO relieve the monotony.
SThe whole country of africa and Tacma
has been captured by the Chilians," said the
doctor. KIT is to lie kept for ten years. At
the end of that time the inhabitants will vote
whether to remain in Chill orgo back TO Peru.
The country which gets theIp must pay S10,-
900 for the prize. Meanwhile Chill is
doing everything possible to make things
pleasant for the people with music and games
The Chilians' present purpose Is to have
United States of South America capturing
the other countries little by little and gradu-
ally adding to their strength and wealth.
They are q blood thirsty people, loving war
and extremely brutal in carrying it on. They
murder men. women and children with iIp-
partial c!uelfy, ripping them open with big
knives
TERRIBLE JOURNEY.
Our journey from Tacma was one Of terri
bic suffering. 1t was upon high table land,
reaching an elevation of 16, 800 feet, and for
five days c journeyed at an average eleva-
tion Of J.. $50 feet. The air was so rarefied
that We >t-ilcred much from sorocho, the
chief sv:., i,cns OF which were difficulty in
breatinic, prostrating muscular weakness and
bleeding 1t the nose and ears. We passed the
beautiful volcano Of Tacosa, which discharges
across the road a river the water of which is
fatal TO human life. Men often commit sui
eide on the table land, they suffer so much
from soroclo. There is also great danger
from lightning, which is frequent and violent.
At one time three members of party in
which | was were Frustrated by lightning,
and fourth was stricken blind for eleven
days The wind is so violent here that trees
cannot gDN, and the vegetation is mat like,
closely lhgSfng the ground.
Dr. Rosby crossed the Andes with much
tribulation, and went TO work among the
valleys of the eastern slope. He advises in
vestors to keep away from theold Spanish
silver mines, and says that any belief that
they were crudely worked is a mistake. The
Spaniarls did not leave much mineral rich
ness behind in their mines. "In Bolivia he
said, shalt the silver is counterfeit. A consul
who had grown tired of making coin sold his
counteifeiting machine to one of our party.
The liveliest part of his journey was on the
Beni river, where it was worth a mans life
to take bath, and where he lost his boat, his
provisions ard the Waterbury watches
with which he was purchasing all sorts Of
valuable things from the natives. But he
got through in spite of insects and monsters,
and having only one day of fever in land
where fever grows On every bush, he satisfied
himself that scientific use Of quinine makes
man impervious to it
Among the wonders which the doctor met
was half pound fish. SO sensitive that it at
tackled anything which caused a commotion
In the water, and so fierce that it would kill
horse or man in crossing a stream 100 feet
wide BE found tribe of Indians SO virtu-
Gus that they tied the unfaithful to ant trees
and tho little insects would eat them alive,
stripping the bones in less than twenty-four
hours. In brief, he had great time.-New
York World.